(Harbour Island, Eleuthera, The Bahamas) Shoppers were invited to sip, sample and meet the designers of the Bryland ‘True Island Luxury’ line of menswear on the cusp of 2019, at Calico Trading Co. located at Valentines Marina in Harbour Island. Showcasing their current collection of linens, polos, shorts, tees and more, designers and founding partners, Nic Chatfield, and Jay-Jay Percentie were on hand to highlight what makes their Bryland line truly special.
“Every time we do these shows, every time we get together, we get so much feedback, and so much support and love from every one coming in. We are super happy to have something that represents Harbour Island, but it’s still a Bahamian brand, and a Bahamian company. There is Bryland USA, and Bryland Bahamas, but the core company is Bahamian, and it’s a quality set of items,” described Jay-Jay, also known as, ‘The Prince of Dunmore’ and currently serving as Deputy Chief Councilor for the Harbour Island District.
“The line depicts function and form, with the seamless pockets, the coaming pants with the water resistance, the t-shirts which are so easy to wear around the boat – that sort of setting, and the linens which are such a big seller. The fact that they are all tapered, and the polos – the core of our line – make you look slimmer, taller, fitter… That’s a part of authentic island living,” smiled Jay-Jay.
The sip and sample event at Calico was highly trafficked during the evening show, with notables like Amanda Brooks, India Hicks, Alessandra Branca, and the Crown Prince Pavlov and Princess Marie-Chantal Miller of Greece popping in. The Bryland line of clothing, said Jay-Jay, can currently be found in Harbour Island at Valentines, Calico; also, in New Providence at Bahamar, Tropic of Luxury; Atlantis Marina Village, Blue Moon; as well as at Albany, The Emporium.
Founding partners, Nic Chatfield, Jay-Jay Percentie and Wynn Laffey launched the brand in 2013, and it’s been quite the experience since then, quipped Percentie, “It took us a long time to reach where we are now, but now that we are here it was well worth it. Although there are still challenges every day, and we are constantly looking at new production and research and development – and everyone has all these great ideas. I think we have been lucky enough to have had a following that gives us quality feedback – so, we are making decisions that sell to the demographics that we are targeting…
“We’ve weeded out some of the products that weren’t quite right, and now we have the full collection… We have the long chinos, the linen pants, the short pants, the t-shirts, the linen shirts, chambrays, the oxfords, the polos, sunglasses, and the belts… Hopefully, we are able to keep going, and will continue to grow… We are very ambitious, and we would love if as soon as you hear Bryland, you would think of the clothing line and not just Harbour Island.”
